This instant invention relates to postage metering systems which can have graphical images downloaded therein via a portable device, and more particularly, to a method for controlling the use of the portable device as a mechanism for downloading graphical images into postage metering systems.
Known postage meters print an indicium, which is indicative of postal value dispensed by a postage meter, together with an adjacent advertising slogan or other type of graphical/descriptive image. The image printed next to the indicium usually is used for advertising purposes but can also simply be any type of message, figure and/or greeting. In one known postage meter product known as the Personal Post Office.TM., the graphical images which are printed together with the indicium can be installed in the postage meter by the meter manufacturer at the time of manufacture. Alternatively, these images can be downloaded from a portable device having the images stored therein (such as a smart card) into memory of the postage meter. The portable device is designed to be inserted into the postage meter to permit communication therebetween to accomplish the image download. Thus, even if the customer receives its postage meter without graphical images stored therein, they can subsequently pay for and order a smart card from the meter manufacturer which will have the desired number of images stored in memory file locations therein. In operation, once the operator has paid the meter manufacturer for the smart card with the desired images, the received smart card is inserted into the postage meter and the images are downloaded from the smart card into memory locations of the postage meter printhead module. However, once the downloading operation has been completed, the images stored in the smart card are rendered to be not readable. This ensures that the smart card can only be used for downloading the images into a single meter and not for downloading the images into a plurality of meters since the use of such smart card in connection with a single meter has only been paid for. Furthermore, to ensure that the smart card is not misused, the customer receives a monetary credit after the downloading of the graphical image if it returns the smart card back to the meter manufacturer.
While the above system has been quite satisfactory, a problem arises when a printhead module of a specific postage meter needs to be replaced. That is, as discussed above, the downloaded graphic image is stored within the memory of the printhead module. Accordingly, if a printhead module that previously was loaded with a graphic image is replaced due to failure, the current process set forth above does not allow the customer to re-load the graphics originally purchased into the printhead module. Accordingly, to overcome the above problem a costly infrastructure could be developed to maintain detailed records of individual smart card usage in connection with particular postage meters and particular printhead modules in order to credit a customer for the above printhead replacement situation discussed above. However, even if such an infrastructure were put in place, a new smart card would have to be reissued or the paid for images would have to be loaded into the replacement printhead module by the meter manufacturer. Implementation of such an infrastructure would be costly to implement and maintain.